The Ring
by Celestial Angel1
Summary: NEW CHAPTER UP!! Long ago, there was a charmed one, one who would wield the ring that would save the world from devastation. But the one who wanted that person dead couldn't find them, and trained an apprentice instead. When they meet,
1. The Ring Keeper

**Yet another Taiora from me! This one is going to be ONLY Taiora, sorry to disappoint anyone out there hoping for either Mimato, Michi or Sorato. If anyone wants one of those couples, please review and say so, and I'll try my best to start one after I finish this fic and "War Torn". Anyway, this is a fic dealing with magic and sorcery, so I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I am enjoying writing it!**  
  
  
The Ring  
Prologue: The Ring Keeper  
  
  
She ran through the night carrying something small in her arms. What the object was, no one knew. Splashing through puddles of murky water, the woman clad in dark brown garbs raced through the streets of Medieval England, desperately seeking solace from the one who was relentlessly chasing after her. Suddenly stopping at a small church, the woman rushed inside, slamming the door behind her.   
  
  
"Who's there?" a middle age Friar asked as he lit a candle and walked toward the shivering woman and her bundle. The woman lowered her brown cloak, revealing her pale face and brown hair.   
  
  
"I am being chased through the night by a stranger. Could you take my baby and make sure she stays safe within these walls until my return?" The woman pleaded, her cinnamon eyes large and hopeful. The Friar scratched his chin slowly, then put his arms out to receive the child.   
  
  
"Oh thank you, Friar. Her name is Sora. I just gave birth to her two months before this time. I will be back by daybreak. Please take good care of Sora until then, kind Friar." The woman said, placing her child into the robed man's arms. Before replacing her cloak, the woman looked one last time into her baby's face.   
  
  
"Be good for the Friar Sora. Mother will be back very very soon." The woman whispered to the sleeping infant, who moved slightly and cuddled into the Friar's robe. The Friar smiled down at the child and ushered the woman along.   
  
  
"My lady, I give you my solemn vow that this child will be safe from all harm. But you must flee, as your pursuer might be catching up to you." The Friar said quietly, his blue eyes dark with sadness. The mother took a small ring off her finger and placed it on a leather string, which she put around her sleeping child's neck.   
  
  
"Don't let her lose this ring, for it has powers too great to measure. Hide it from her until her sixteenth year, then present it to her on her birthday, the twenty third of September." The woman ordered.   
  
  
"You will be coming back, my lady. I know you will." The Friar replied, a determined look crossing his face.   
  
  
"Yes, I will be coming back. But those instructions must be carried out in the even that I do not return. Please, promise me." The woman whispered, her voice choking with emotion.   
  
  
"But-" The Friar cried.   
  
  
"Promise me!" The woman commanded, her eyes begging.   
  
  
"I promise you." The Friar whispered, looking from the woman to the sleeping child in his arms. The woman put her cloak back on and opened the door, hurrying out into the dark night air. Looking wistfully out toward the shadow of the woman, the Friar turned and closed the door, walking toward his room. He put the tiny child in a small wooden bed beside his own and fell into a deep sleep. Around the baby's tiny neck, the ring glowed a soft blue light.  
  
  
The woman ran down the street once again, fleeing from the one who'd been hunting her. She stopped at an alley and hid behind a cart filled with dirt. She could hear footsteps walking down the alley, and knew she'd been caught. Suddenly the cart was tossed aside, and the woman's pursuer was standing before her. He was very tall with black hair and dark brown eyes. The woman took a breath and cringed as he reached down and grabbed her by her garment, dragging her into the air. He set her down roughly and looked her square in the eyes.   
  
  
"Where is the ring, Serene?" the man asked angrily. The woman looked away from the man, who, enraged, threw her against the wall of the alley. She landed with a thump, but struggled to rise to her feet again.   
  
  
"Serene, where is the damned ring?" the man commanded, his voice rising in volume.   
  
  
"I won't tell you. Never." Serene cried, trying to make a break for the open street. The man grabbed Serene and threw her back against the wall. This time the woman did not move. The man shook the woman, and screamed in rage when he found her dead.   
  
  
"Master, have you the ring?" a short little man asked as he limped forward. A taller more healthy man stood behind the short man, his arms crossed.   
  
  
"No, Serene is dead. The ring is not on her person. Did you find the baby?" The man asked. The two men smiled evilly and revealed a tiny baby wrapped in brown cloth.   
  
  
"Perfect." The man answered, a sinister grin forming on his face.   
  
  
"It is a boy, master. We found him lying in the street. Serene must have left him there while she was hiding from you." The tall man stated, uncovering the child and revealing a brown hair infant around Sora's age. The man frowned and threw his hands up.  
  
  
"That is not the child. Serene's child was female!" The man yelled. The other two men crouched down, almost dropping the sleeping baby boy. The baby began to wail loudly, and the tall man almost beat him on the head, but was stopped by the leader.   
  
  
"Do not harm him. We do not have Serene's baby, but we do have a child. We will train him to become what Serene's child was to be. And when we find her, we will destroy her." The man said evilly, smiling cruelly down on the tiny boy, who looked up at the man with large chocolate eyes.   
  
  
"What shall we call this child, master?" the short man asked, limping up to the tall man and taking the child from his arms.   
  
  
"His name shall be Tai. And someday, he shall bring me the world on a plate!" The man replied, looking down at Tai and grinning meanly.   
  
  
**So there's the prologue. This is the dealio: Serene is Sora's mother. She gave Sora a magical ring to protect the world from the man and his followers. The man wanted to get Serene and Sora so he could kill them, but he could only find Serene. Thinking he had Sora in his possession, he finds that the child is a boy, and calls him Tai. Tai's purpose in the fic is to become a sorcerer to bring the world to its knees for the man. So here you have it, two infant children who will decide the fate of the world are now in the hands of the ultimate good (*The Church*) and the ultimate evil (*The Man, who's name will be released in the next chapter*). I need reviews to keep this one going, and trust me, if you all review, you will like this story. The next chapter is sixteen years later when Sora finds out her past and is determined not to let her mother die in vain. Tai, also sixteen, has become a powerful young man with a heart of gold. The one who has been teaching him all these years has told him lies about the one who is coming to take over the world. What is going to happen? You have to read and review to find out!** 


	2. Year Of The Ring

**Here we go with the second part of the story! In this part, sixteen years have passed. Baby Sora is now an orphan of the Church, and baby Tai has become the son of the ultimate evil, though he has a good heart. What happens when the world is at stake, and the only person who can save it is a teenage girl? Read to find out!**  
  
  
The Ring   
Part One: Year Of The Ring  
  
  
The sun was shining down on the dirt streets of Maryville (*totally fictional town in England*) as children ran through the alleys, playing the day away. At the end of one of the many streets in the town stood a small church where three Friars lived with the many orphans who were delivered there over time. In the yard of the church ran twelve young boys and girls ranging in age from two years to ten years old. Sitting at the top of the church's stairs was a tall young teenager with fiery red hair and cinnamon eyes. She tended to the children and watched them carefully, making sure to keep them in the churchyard.   
  
  
"Sora! Sora! Zayne is picking on Mirah again! Sora!" a small child with green eyes and long blonde hair cried, running up to Sora and grabbing her hand and leading her over to two other children, who were arguing.   
  
  
"Zayne, Mirah, what have I told you about fighting?" Sora asked, her voice stern and commanding, yet soft and motherly at the same time. The children looked down at their feet shyly.   
  
  
"I'm sorry Mirah. You're not a sewer rat." Zayne said quietly, wiping some light brown hair from his face. His freckles stood out from his pasty white skin.   
  
  
"And you're not a slime eater." Mirah replied, her blue eyes apologetic. As quickly as the argument started, it ended, the two children running off to play somewhere else. Sora sighed and knelt down to the blonde once again.   
  
  
"Hannah, you run along and play. I must go see Friar Laurence. Make sure the children stay inside the yard." Sora instructed, turning and walking into the church where she was to meet with the Friar about something concerning her birthday, which was fast approaching.   
  
  
"Ah, there you are Sora." Friar Laurence said, standing and welcoming the teen into the small quarters. Sora smiled sweetly to the man and sat down in one of the small wooden chairs in the room.   
  
  
"You summoned me, Friar?" Sora asked. Friar Laurence nodded and sat down on his small bed, looking out the window.   
  
  
"You have been here many years, child. It is time you knew where you came from." The Friar said, moving some gray hair from his tired eyes.   
  
  
"You know my mother and father?" Sora asked, incredulous. Why had the Friar, the one who had protected her for so long, not told her years ago?  
  
  
"I know your mother, though not well. I can tell you what happened the day you entered this church, child." Friar Laurence replied. Sora nodded eagerly, sitting on the edge of her seat. For years she had wanted to know who her mother was and why she abandoned her so long ago.   
  
  
"It began on a dark night in November. I was saying my nightly prayers as I always have when someone entered the front door to the church. It was a young woman with a small child in her arms. The child was you, Sora. She told me that she was being chased, and asked me to care for you until she could get away from her pursuer. I agreed, thinking that she would return for you in the morning. That is how you arrived her." Friar Laurence said, his eyes seeming as if he was actually looking back on that night.   
  
  
"But why didn't she come back? Why did she put you in charge of protecting me?" Sora asked, still confused.   
  
  
"The next morning, they brought a body back to the church to be buried. It was a woman who had been beaten the night before. I looked at the corpse and found your mother in an eternal sleep. We buried her that evening, and accepted you into our church as the first orphan." The Friar answered. Sora felt tears of sadness growing in her eyes. Her dream of meeting her mother was gone, and all hope for a happy adult life with her family was also gone.   
  
  
"She did leave you something, my child. Something of which I have no idea, but it is very powerful. Or so your mother told me." Friar Laurence added, walking over to his desk and pulling out a small item wrapped in cloth.   
  
  
"What is it?" Sora asked impatiently. The Friar unwrapped the item, revealing a small silver ring with a blue stone perched upon it. Sora gasped and took the ring from the Friar, putting it on her finger gently.   
  
  
"I was told that you should receive it on your sixteenth birthday, and that when you did receive it, the world would be saved in some way. I don't know what that means, child, but I do think you were born to a destiny you shall fulfill soon." Friar Laurence explained. Sora stared at the ring with interest. She had so many questions, but she knew he wouldn't be able to answer them.   
  
  
"I. . .I wish I knew more. . ." Sora whispered. The Friar took the teen into his arms and held her close while tears of sadness welled up in her eyes.   
  
  
Thunder boomed above the dismal castle that sat upon a tall mountain. Inside, three men and a young teenager sat at a large round table eating their dinner. One man was short, another tall, and the third, who sat at the head of the table, had black hair peppered with gray. The brown haired teen sat next to the man, eating slowly.   
  
  
"Master Mustan, the time is near." The short man said. Mustan, the leader, nodded, a sinister grin forming on his face.   
  
  
"Tai, you shall fulfill your purpose very soon. You will bring me the world." Mustan replied, looking down at the teen, who looked at Mustan with determined eyes.   
  
  
"I will bring the evil ones to their knees. Soon you will rule your kingdom again, master!" Tai cried triumphantly. Mustan smiled once again, then returned to his dinner.   
  
  
"Soon the Chosen Child will emerge, and you, Tai, shall kill her and bring the ring to me." Mustan said, chewing on a piece of chicken.   
  
  
"And we, Portabell, shall become Dukes of the new world." The tall man said joyously, slapping the short man on the back.   
  
  
"We shall, Glammon, we shall." Portabell replied to the tall man, who stared greedily off into space as he thought about the kingdom and the riches he was about to receive.   
  
  
"I must retire, father. Goodnight Uncle Portabell. Goodnight Uncle Glammon." Tai said, pushing his plate out of his way. In a puff of orange smoke, the young man had vanished, leaving the trio to talk amongst themselves.   
  
  
"He has progressed better than we thought he would, master." Portabell said proudly. Mustan nodded and pushed his plate away also.   
  
  
"He did learn from the best." Mustan added, leaning back in his chair. Glammon stood and paced around the floor.   
  
  
"He has a good magical talent, master. But his heart. . .his heart is pure and devoid of evil. I fear the nothing can stop him if he finds out the truth." Glammon replied, stopping to look at Mustan, who frowned.   
  
  
"I took great measures to keep Tai from knowing the truth about the outside world. Every book Tai has been educated with makes the people of the world look like ogres, and I know that over these years he has developed a loyalty to us. He will not fail. The world, to him, is like a Eden that was taken from us and overrun with evil people. He will come through and destroy the child. He cannot fail." Mustan stated. Glammon and Portabell grinned and toasted with their wine glasses.   
  
  
"To the world! May it fall into our hands forever!" Mustan cried. The three glasses clinked together loudly.   
  
  
**So there's what's going on. Tai has basically been brainwashed by Mustan (*The Man*) and thinks the world once belonged to Mustan, who is imposing as Tai's father. Sora has now received the ring, and with her birthday coming, the powers within her will begin to show the way for her to go to defeat Mustan and keep the world from falling. But what's going to happen when Tai and Sora accidentally meet on their way to destroying each other? Lotsa Taiora, and I mean LOTSA!** 


	3. Meetings

**This is the second chapter. Tai and Sora are going to meet one day by chance when Tai is trying to master a very powerful spell. This chapter will be 100% Taiora!**  
  
  
The Ring  
Chapter Two: Meetings  
  
  
Sora walked through the tiny town toward the valley as she had done for years. Baths were rare in her land, and Sora never went a day without one, so ever morning the teenager would wake up and walk down to a small secluded waterfall where she would bathe. The young woman hummed a melody to a hymn as she strolled along, the azure ring perched on her finger.   
  
  
"Finally. I thought I would never make it." Sora sighed as she reached the waterfall. Even though she traveled to it every day, the beauty of the area never ceased to amaze her. Green foliage covered the usually bare ground, and crystal clear water cascaded from the high rocks above, gathering in a small lake at the bottom. Sora had always enjoyed walking through the water to the other side so watch the world from the inside of the waterfall. Slowly, Sora removed her dark blue dress and laid it on a branch of a nearby tree. Soon Sora was immersed in the chilly water of the lake. She swam around with ease and ducked her head under the cool clear water, washing it carefully.   
  
  
"Father, I am going to my room to try something." Tai called to Mustan as he jogged up a long flight of stairs to his room, a lavishly decorated room. He stood atop a very ornate rug and closed his eyes as he concentrated on his goal.   
  
  
"I want to leave the castle. . . I want to leave it now." Tai whispered to himself. He felt himself float upward, and his heart leapt with happiness. For years now he had wanted to leave, but his father forbade it. Tai felt himself become cold as he tried to use his powerful magic to take him out of the castle, but sighed as the cold feeling dwindled, and he descended back to the rug.   
  
  
"I'm never going to get it. I just want to see what I am taking over. The people of Earth cannot be as bad as Father thinks they are." Tai said dejectedly. He flopped down onto his bed and stared at the high ceiling of the room.   
  
  
It had been years since Tai had been outside the castle walls. He distantly recalled a day in his youth when his father took him for a ride on a black horse. But after that afternoon, Tai never saw the sun again. His skin was dark as if it was tanned by the sun, but his father explained to him that his mother had a dark complexion, so Tai never wondered.   
  
  
"All this time if training, and I still cannot get out of this castle. I wish I could have just one day where I could leave this place and see the world I know is out there." Tai said miserably. He adored his father and his uncles, but the fact that they were sheltering him was making him resent them more and more each day. Standing once again on the rug, Tai closed his eyes and gathered all his anger at his relatives into his consciousness, then tried again.   
  
  
"I. . .want. . .to LEAVE!" Tai cried. A flash of white light exploded from Tai's fingers, and he rose into the air, becoming transparent. In a puff of orange smoke, the teen was gone from sight.   
  
  
Sora splashed around the lake lazily when she heard a splash and someone thrashing about in the water. She quickly made her way to the drowning person and hauled them up by the hair. Tai gasped and stood in the water when he realized it was so shallow. Sora turned an immediate shade of red, then ducked under the water until her shoulder blades were the only things visible.   
  
  
"What are you doing out here? How did you get this far out into the lake?" Sora demanded, stammering as she went. Tai blushed a deep shade of crimson when he saw the girl, and turned around so he wasn't facing her.   
  
  
"I was. . .trying something, and I fell in. I'm so sorry to interrupt your bath." Tai stumbled, obviously embarrassed. Sora got out of the water and put her dress on, the cloth sticking to her wet form slightly.   
  
  
"It's forgiven. My name is Sora. What is yours?" Sora asked. Tai turned around and got out of the water, still beet red.   
  
  
"My name. . .is Tai." Tai replied. Sora smiled at the handsome young man and began to gather some firewood.   
  
  
"It's going to look awfully bad if you and I return to town wet, now won't it? Let's make a fire and dry off, shall we?" Sora stated, grabbing some more wood and piling it into a small heap. Tai helped Sora, but when her back was turned, he pointed to the wood and set it ablaze. When Sora turned around, Tai was warming his hands over the fire, a mischievous look carved onto his face.  
  
  
"How did you. . ." Sora asked, amazed.   
  
  
"I'm a sorcerer, plain and simple." Tai answered. Sora smiled as she walked over next to Tai, putting her hands over the fire as well. After the two were dry, they began to chat.   
  
  
"You're an orphan? That's terrible." Tai said as Sora finished explaining her life to him. Sora nodded and sat down on a rock nearby.   
  
  
"It has been hard, and now the Friar has given me something that is even more confusing. A ring from my mother that has a lot of power within it. I just haven't figured out how to use it yet." Sora explained, showing the ring to Tai.   
  
  
"The ring. . ." Tai whispered inaudibly as he stared at Sora's finger. If this was the same ring his father was speaking about, then Tai had stumbled upon the Chosen Child that would keep his father from taking back the world.   
  
  
'How can someone this beautiful be one of the evil ones? This cannot be. . . she is so lovely, everything about her is gorgeous to look at. Her eyes, her smile, even her hair. She cannot be the one I have to kill.' Tai thought to himself. At the same time, Sora was also doing some thinking of her own.   
  
  
'He looks strong. And he's devilishly handsome too. Could I be falling for someone I haven't known for a day? There's no way to explain the feeling I have inside right now. Like a spark guiding me toward him. . .' Sora thought. The couple leaned closer together, their eyes closing partially. Finally they met in a sweet simple kiss. Sora felt a current of energy enter her, and began to tremble. Tai had never felt like he was feeling at that moment. Something kept telling him that this girl was special in ways no mortal could fathom.   
  
  
"Tai. . ." Sora moaned into Tai's mouth as they deepened their kiss, touching their tongues together.   
  
  
"Oh my Lord. . ." Tai cried in return as the couple began to lean to the ground. Something in the back of the teen's minds said to pursue their desire, though their consciousness minds screamed at them to stop. Tai laid Sora onto the green grass and laid on top of her, kissing her hard and long. Sora moaned again, but sat up, panting.   
  
  
"That was. . .strange." Sora gasped. Tai sat up beside the young woman, bewildered.   
  
  
"I know. I have never felt that way before." Tai replied. They looked at each other, averting eye contact almost instantly.   
  
  
"I think I better be going." Tai said quickly, fleeing into a cloud of arrange smoke, and leaving a shocked Sora behind on the ground.   
  
  
"Well, that was weird. I wish I could get home that fast." Sora said to herself. Suddenly the ring began to glow a bright blue, and Sora felt herself become lighter. In a matter of seconds, Sora was at the church, a blue puff of smoke rising into the air around her. Friar Laurence rushed out to the churchyard where Sora was standing and caught her just in time as she fainted.  
  
  
**Okay, I know this is a weird story, and the part about Tai's father isn't very clear, so maybe if you piece the men from the prologue together with the baby they found, then you will realize the names of all the people involved. Coming soon, chapter three. What happens when Sora realizes her true destiny and strengthens her powers? And what will happen when Tai finds out the girl he has fallen for is in fact the one he must destroy?** 


	4. Love And Power

**Chapter four!! Woo hoo! I'm glad you're enjoying this fic, I was a little apprehensive about publishing it. Most of the time I have noticed that medieval fics are seldom continued as people do not give feedback. This is certainly not the case with this one, since I have so many reviews! Thanks!**  
  
  
The Ring  
Chapter Three: Love And Power  
  
  
Sora felt something cool and wet on her forehead. She opened her cinnamon eyes to see Friar Laurence sitting next to her bedside. His face contained much worry as he studied the small ring he held in his hands.   
  
  
"Your mother was a sorceress. I researched and read books until I finally found where you are derived." The Friar said quietly. He handed the ring to Sora, who took it in her hand. The second it hit her skin, the blue stone crowning the piece of jewelry sparkled brightly.   
  
  
"Sorceress? But how? What information did you find, Friar?" Sora asked. Friar Laurence pulled out a large volume and flipped through the pages carefully. He finally stopped at a certain point and began to read.   
  
  
"There once, in the land of Maryville, lived two families of great power. These families were strong in the art of magic, and in time, grew to despise one another. A girl named Allys from the family of Gloan and a boy named Cass from the family of Metris fell in love, though their families detested one another and vowed to separate them for life. This, Sora, happened almost forty years ago." Friar Laurence stated. Sora sat up, her eyes wide.   
  
  
"Forty years. . .that isn't that long." Sora added. The Friar read on, his quiet voice telling the story of Sora's past.  
  
  
"Cass and Allys ran away together, though their families disowned them. The two powerful magicians soon had a child, a daughter they named Serene. Allys did not survive the birth of her daughter, leaving Cass to care for Serene alone. Before Allys perished, she forged a ring with a azure stone inside to help her young family when they would need it." Friar Laurence read, growing more and more interested with every word he uttered.   
  
  
"The ring. . . ." Sora whispered, looking into the blue stone with amazement.   
  
  
"Yes, that is the same ring as in this volume. It turns out that Cass had to use the ring when Serene was about ten years old to defeat the power of his own family, who had become evil with greed and wanted the world. They had even had the power to kill Allys' family. A child remained undestroyed, however. The brother of Cass, then the same age as Serene, if not a little older. Cass spared his life, thinking the child had no knowledge of the powers his family had." The Friar said, his voice almost an inaudible whisper.  
  
  
"I do not understand what this has to do with me." Sora said, eyeing the ring again.   
  
  
"You will after I read this. Serene grew quickly into a young woman. When she was twenty five years of age, Cass was killed by his own brother Mustan. The same brother he had spared. For five years Serene was chased by Mustan, her own Uncle. He wanted the ring, and would kill to have it, as it could help him take the world. During this five year time span, Serene became withchild and bore a child, a girl to which a name was never found. Months after Serene gave birth, she was murdered in an alley beside a small Church in Maryville." Friar Laurence read. Sora's eyes grew wide.   
  
  
"I understand. Cass and Allys. . .they were my grandparents. And Serene. . . . my mother. So Mustan. . . .my Great Uncle, wants this ring to rule over everyone on Earth." Sora whispered.   
  
  
"I'm afraid that this evidence makes that crystal clear." Friar Laurence replied.   
  
  
"Then I know what I must do. I must learn to use this magic, become a sorceress. I have to defend the world from him." Sora stated bravely.   
  
  
"You will, and you shall. I believe that you will become the savior of our lives as we know them." Friar Laurence added. Sora's face fell, her eyes sad.   
  
  
"I must leave. There is no sense in putting danger in this building with all the lives depending on it for so much. I shall leave at once." Sora said determinedly. She packed some of her meager possessions in a small cloth pack and set off for the forest.   
  
  
"Godspeed, child." Friar Laurence whispered from inside the church.  
  
  
Tai sat in his room quietly, his mind on Sora, the girl he had met earlier that day. If being the most beautiful creature in the world made Sora evil, then Tai had no choice but to kill her and hand the ring she held in her hands to his father. But she didn't seem evil to Tai, no matter how hard he tried to make her seem that way.   
  
  
'Why did she have that ring? Did she find it somewhere? She cannot be the one I will kill. . .I cannot kill her!' Tai thought absently. His door opened, and Mustan walked in, his eyes dark and sinister.   
  
  
"I know you left the castle this morning. Where did you go? I told you to never leave this place! There are evils out there that could kill you for sure, and I will not have that, do you hear me? You are too valuable to me." Mustan roared. Tai cringed.   
  
  
"Father. . .it was a mistake. I was trying to get into the kitchen from my room, and I went to the wrong place. You were right. . .there are many evils out there. I will be more careful next time, I promise." Tai replied. His father may have been a strong sorcerer, and he might have taught Tai every trick in the book, but he was a pushover whenever Tai talked to him.  
  
  
"I am sorry you had to find that out the hard way. Now please, my son, try and stay in the castle." Mustan said as he walked out of the room.   
  
  
"I must remove myself from these quarters. I will not do his dirty work and kill this ring bearer. I must find Sora and get rid of that ring before she gets hurt." Tai said to himself. He pulled all his strength together and made himself go to wherever Sora was. In a bright puff of smoke, Tai was gone.   
  
  
Sora began her work carefully, aiming the ring at certain things and trying to make anything happen. She pointed to an old pile of logs uncertainly.   
  
  
"I hope this works. . . FIRE!" Sora cried. Sparks flew from the ring onto the logs, and in seconds, a bright fire was roaring out of control. Terrified, Sora pointed the ring at the fire.  
  
  
"CALM!" Sora commanded. The fire died down to normal proportions, and Sora sat down and rested for a moment.   
  
  
"This ring is unbelievable. Anything I command of it, it does. Such power would be a great necessity to Mustan. I must see that it never reaches his hands." Sora whispered to herself. An orange puff of smoke enveloped Sora suddenly, and she screamed as Tai landed on top of her.   
  
  
"Sora! I have been searching for you everywhere! I know you have the ring. Where did you get it?" Tai asked crazily, still on top of Sora.  
  
  
"Get. . .off." Sora commanded. Tai felt himself raise into the air, and then land hard beside the young woman he had landed on.  
  
  
"My mother gave it to me when I was but a babe." Sora replied. Tai looked at Sora in shock.   
  
  
"Then you're the one. You're the Chosen Child." Tai said, astonished. Sora looked at him and nodded gently.   
  
  
"I suppose I am." Sora replied.   
  
  
"I am supposed to kill the Chosen Child." Tai said cruelly, standing up and pointing to Sora. Sora cowered in fear, knowing her life was about to come to an end.   
  
  
"I. . .I can't!" Tai wailed.   
  
  
"You can't kill me?" Sora asked. Tai nodded, shame written on his face.   
  
  
"My father. . .Mustan. . . .he has trained me for years to kill you, but I can't!" Tai answered.   
  
  
"Mustan is your father? He is my Great Uncle! There is no mention in the book about him having a son." Sora retorted.   
  
  
"I am not his true son. One day I found him speaking about the day he found me. It was then that I realized I was an orphan." Tai replied. Sora shook her head. There was too much information to be received so quickly.   
  
  
"But why can you not kill me?" Sora questioned.   
  
  
"Because I have fallen madly in love with you. You're the first human of your sex I have ever laid eyes on, and I couldn't be more in love with you." Tai replied.   
  
  
"You have fallen in love. . . .with me?" Sora asked. Tai nodded, kneeling to the ground humbly.   
  
  
"I will help you find Mustan and destroy him." Tai whispered.   
  
  
"No need to look, son. I am right HERE!" Mustan shouted as he leapt from the shadows and stood over the two teenagers.   
  
  
"Thank you for helping me find the girl, Tai. You are of no use to me anymore." Mustan said evilly as he shot a beam straight at Tai's chest.  
  
  
**And that's it for now! Catch you all later, and don't forget to write me a little tiny review so I can send you the next part! Ciao!** 


	5. Demolished

**And I have here the final chapter to bestow upon your eyes to read! Wow, am I retarded, or what? Lol! Anyway, here's the next part, I hope you read, review and enjoy!**  
  
  
The Ring  
Chapter Four: Demolished  
  
  
Mustan shot the beam of light straight at Tai. It was over in a second, the beam hit the sixteen year old square in the chest. He didn't cry out; he simply fell to the ground in a heap. Mortified, Sora ran to her love, gathering him into her arms. She began to sob when she realized he was growing cold with death.   
  
  
"I wouldn't waste my tears on that street rat. I should have known his heart would fail when it came to true love. But what's true love when the one you're destined for is dead? Hahaha!" Mustan cried triumphantly. He stalked over to Sora, who was still weeping over Tai's corpse, and picked her up roughly by the arm.   
  
  
"Let me go, you sinister being!" Sora screeched. Mustan only laughed at the girl.   
  
  
"You are just like you mother Serene. She was a fighter also. Too bad she didn't give me the ring, then she would be alive today." Mustan said darkly. Sora looked at Mustan in shock.   
  
  
"You murdered my mother?" Sora asked, her eyes wide with horror. Mustan laughed again, throwing back his head.  
  
  
"Of course I killed you blasted mother! She was a part of the reason my beloved brother died! I had to kill him to get that damned ring, and when I DID kill him, she was gone. I had to chase her for years, until finally, when I caught her, I lost the ring when she shipped you away to wherever you have come from! Do you know what I have planned with that ring? I will make the entire WORLD bow to my power!" Mustan screamed madly. Sora tried to escape the big man's grasp, but continued to be held prisoner by him.  
  
  
'I want to get away. . . I want to get away. . .' Sora thought frantically as she fought against Mustan. She felt lighter, and in seconds she was standing free from his grasp, and many feet away from him.   
  
  
"Insolent child, you should understand that you cannot defeat me. I am the most powerful magician on this planet." Mustan cried. Sora shook her head as a great beam of white light from the heavens poured down onto her. Mustan screamed in fury as two ghostly figures of a man and a woman entered Sora's body.   
  
  
"Allys and Cass. . . I should have known those two would have the power to aid you beyond the grave." Mustan shrieked. He grew even angrier as one more figure, the figure of Serene herself, entered her daughter. Sora stood tall, infused with the magic of her mother and grandparents.   
  
  
"No! I will not allow this to happen!" Mustan screamed, pointing a bony finger at Sora.   
  
  
"Neither will I." Sora stated simply, raising her hands at Mustan and firing a powerful blast of blue energy at him. He crumpled to the ground, wounded.   
  
  
"This. . .is for my grandparents." Sora shrieked as she pelted Mustan with another blast of energy. Mustan cringed slightly.   
  
  
"This is for my mother. The one I never knew." Sora shouted as she fired another blast. Mustan's body leapt with pain. He screamed as his life force was diminishing.   
  
  
"Another for Tai, the one you took from me just now." Sora screamed, infuriated. Another wave belted Mustan, sending him to the ground once again.   
  
  
"And finally" Sora whispered as Mustan struggled to rise to his feet.   
  
  
"This one is for me!" Sora screamed. Before Sora could get the energy to leave her fingers, Mustan released a bolt of magic, hitting Sora in the stomach. Yelping in pain, Sora released her magic, killing Mustan permanently. Sora collapsed to the ground next to Tai's body, her entire frame weak with fatigue.   
  
  
"Oh Tai. . .why did you have to leave me?" Sora asked the dead boy. She didn't get a response from the body, and began to weep bitterly.   
  
  
"I want you to live. . .with all my heart!" Sora yelled. Her voice echoed through the woods, scattering birds sitting in the trees. A bright light suddenly escaped Sora's body, and the three ghostly figures appeared before Sora.   
  
  
"Mother. . . Grandmother. . . .Grandfather. . ." Sora whispered. The three almost transparent figures nodded.   
  
  
"My baby. . . you have proven yourself a fine magician, much like your family. I trust you will care for the ring, as it will not be needed any longer." Serene said, her voice sounding distorted.   
  
  
"You are a fine child, Sora. Preserve the magic in your heart, and you shall have anything you desire." Cass said, his voice also eerily distorted.   
  
  
"I want Tai, but Mustan killed him." Sora said bitterly.   
  
  
"Find the love in your heart, and it will guide you to him. He then shall live on. . . " Allys whispered. Before Sora could ask what her grandmother meant, the trio dissipated into a fine mist, floating back toward the heavens.   
  
  
"Find the love in my heart. . .but how?" Sora asked herself. She knelt down beside Tai and placed a hand on his chest.   
  
  
'Guide me to you, Tai. . .' Sora thought, concentrating with all her power. A soft orange aura began to radiate from Tai's body, and he drew a breath. Overjoyed, Sora wrapped her arms around Tai as he tried to sit up.   
  
  
"What. . .what happened?" Tai asked Sora.  
  
  
"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you're here with me." Sora replied, kissing Tai's lips passionately.   
  
  
**Ten months later**  
  
  
Tai and Sora awoke their home to the sound of a rooster. Stretching, Tai reached over and kissed Sora's lips lightly. Sora returned the kiss, putting her hand on Tai's face. On her hand, a gold wedding band and the blue ring sat daintily on her fingers.   
  
  
"Good morning, my love." Tai said quietly. Sora smiled and got out of bed, covering herself with a silk robe. They lived well now, in a large home with much land.   
  
  
"Good morning, Tai." Sora replied, leaving the room for a moment, and returning with a sleeping infant.   
  
  
"Good morning, Cayde." Tai whispered as the newborn stretched and opened his eyes slightly. Two brownish red orbs looked sleepily at Sora and Tai, then closed once again. Tai touched the mass of brown hair the child possessed, then smiled contently.   
  
  
"The magic lives on in him, you know." Tai stated.   
  
  
"I know, I can see it. And I like what I see." Sora replied, kissing Tai once again.   
  
  
**Okay, you all probably think this is a lame ending, but I didn't want to make this as long as War Torn is! That fic's a doozey, and if you haven't read it, I recommend that you do so immediately! Thanks for reading, and I'll be watching for more reviews!** 


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